I know someone who wants to break into UX Research, she has a background in cultural anthropology and a certificate on product design so it was a great career fit for her. She is currently trying to build a portfolio and posts her but without the right mentor, isn't entirely sure what she needs to show as work in order to get into the interview process aside from her Medium writings (https://medium.com/@allyyrv).

I, much like yourself have been through some career transitions. IMO you're work is very nice to look at for several reasons but because of these transitions, I've come appreciate items that work above else. Have you written anything around usability metrics or pain-points and how you solve those issues?